BBC Radio 4 - In Business, Grand Design

Peter Day argues that it is high time that designers are given a far larger role in all sorts of organisations.


"Designers are getting tired of being pigeon-holed into the role of making products look better and work better. Peter Day argues that it is high time that designers are given a far larger role in all sorts of organisations. He hears from some influential people who are convinced that something called Design Thinking can help companies cope with a wide variety of great big business uncertainties, not just the shape of the box they come in."

Tim Brown, President and CEO, Ideo
Joe Ferry, Head of Design, Virgin Atlantic
David Kester, Chief Executive, Design Council
Graham Burchell, Director, Challs International
Graham Sim, Marketing Director, HMV
Tony Fleming, Technical Director, JS Humidifiers

Objectified. A film by Gary Hustwit

An admirable docu-film and hopefully the start of more serious critique about the reasons for being of the products we consume.

Hustwit was around after the screening at the Barbican, London, and a member of the audience asked him why he made this film. His answer was the same as it had been for Helvetica… “Because I wanted to see a movie about this stuff and there wasn’t one, so I made it!” Hustwit and the audience followed off onto another subject, but it struck me that Jonathan Ive just gave the same response in the film, to the same question, why he is a designer.

This affirms the creative drive and motive that is so often seen as unique by differing professionals but is so often the same and yet overlooked. It is these common spaces were culture thrives.

Hustwit also guaranteed a third film out in two years, to make and conclude a trilogy on the subject of design. My money is on Architecture (no-brainer)!

European Academy of Design 8th international conference: Design Connexity (April ’09, Aberdeen, UK)

An illustrious conference with some great papers and inaugural talks from Toby Scott, Fiona Raby, Josephine Green… check out the site as videos will be on soon.  I presented with two colleagues (Dr Noemi Sadowska and Selena Griffith), our paper Mind The Gap, collaboration in design teaching and learning between RBS London and the School of Design Studies, COFA, UNSW, Sydney.

 

We are bridging the gap between the business student and design student.  Effecting positive change in communication between two disciplines pre-industry exposure.  The students meet online and collaborate on projects, communicate on subjects varied and self directed.  We are always looking for more guys to jump in…

 

The conference was a success and with some very interesting themes becoming veins of the conference.  Rachel Cooper’s paper on Wellbeing and Design discussing her work undertaken for the UK government and design affecting a model for an inclusive world, Professor Klaus Krippendorff on principals of human-centered design and Josephine Green of Philips supporting a new economic model to take over from GDP, ISEW (Index Sustainable Economic Welfare).  A great deal of focus was given to wellbeing, sustainable futures and design thinking as a future principal in bringing about a package for survival.

 

Toby Scott “demystified innovation” discussing his work in Ireland.  Highlighting design as a threatening word to non-designers, and therefore designers are to be change managers.  Designer’s user-centered skill base along with the ability of making things visual and tangible was illustrated to be the strongest stings to the designer’s bow.

 

Service design was also a topic that has gathered momentum and demonstrated its importance at the conference.  This area is a must for the current design and/or business students and all industry dogs that are yet to acknowledge the principals of the discipline.

 

For more info on the conference and on my coauthored paper Mind The Gap contact me or visit the link to Design Connexity.

 

Hello...

Welcome to the new home of my work…

This blog is a quick jump on point for me to let you know what I am currently working on and for prospective clients and collaborators to contact me.  I am running several product development projects currently and continuing my teaching and development of the design management program at RBSL.  There are a few research projects that are about to start and I will be developing them on the blog as they go.  I hope that this work online (lazy but quick and fun webpage) will be of help as a resource to my students, colleagues, and future friends, clients and collaborators.